Commissioners consider first steps in renovation of Harvey-damaged nature center

By Catherine Dominguez, cdominguez@hcnonline.com

Published
4:59 pm CDT, Sunday, May 6, 2018

The Spring Creek Greenway Nature Center is seen after it was flooded by Hurricane Harvey, Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, in Spring. The center has been damaged by floodwater twice since it was built in 2010.

The Spring Creek Greenway Nature Center is seen after it was flooded by Hurricane Harvey, Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, in Spring. The center has been damaged by floodwater twice since it was built in 2010.

Photo: Jason Fochtman, Staff Photographer

Photo: Jason Fochtman, Staff Photographer

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The Spring Creek Greenway Nature Center is seen after it was flooded by Hurricane Harvey, Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, in Spring. The center has been damaged by floodwater twice since it was built in 2010.

The Spring Creek Greenway Nature Center is seen after it was flooded by Hurricane Harvey, Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, in Spring. The center has been damaged by floodwater twice since it was built in 2010.

Photo: Jason Fochtman, Staff Photographer

Commissioners consider first steps in renovation of Harvey-damaged nature center

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Nine months after the Spring Creek Greenway Nature Center was damaged by Hurricane Harvey, the Montgomery County commissioners will consider awarding a contract for architectural services not to exceed $60,000.

The court will meet at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday on the fourth floor of the Alan B. Sadler Commissioners Court Building, 501 N. Thompson St.

The center, built in 2010 for $2.3 million along Spring Creek in Precinct 3 in South Montgomery County near the Grand Parkway, took on four feet of water as Hurricane Harvey pushed across the region last August. The hurricane, which was downgraded to a tropical storm when it hit Montgomery County, dumped close to 30 inches of rain in some areas.

The center has been closed ever since.

"(The water) stood in there for several days," Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack said in a previous Courier article. "In the lower-lying areas, like the bathrooms away from the center, the water was up to the door frame. Everything was ruined."

Noack said employees evacuated the wildlife, including snakes, turtles, frogs and spiders, from the center, but most furniture, displays and equipment were lost.

The center has been a popular place for the community, Noack said.

"We know the shell is structurally sound. But if you have to replace all the electrical, all the mechanical, the lift station, you get to a point, 'Is it worth it?'" he said. "Obviously, the center is a valuable resource to our community. It is heavily utilized."

In other business:

Land donation – Sheriff Rand Henderson is requesting the court accept the donation of 16 acres from Conroe CS Holdings for the location of a new radio tower.

Dog donation – Officials with the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office are requesting the court approve the donation of the department's new canine Sumi. The value of the donation is $45,000.

Toll removal – Precinct 4 Commissioner Jim Clark is asking fellow court members to consider removing the tolls from the Texas 242 flyovers at Interstate 45 and having the Texas Department of Transportation assume responsibility for one or both flyovers.